Nightmares
by Harry and Hermoine
Summary: Alec is having dreams concerning Black. Not dreams, nightmares. Dreams that Alec is sure will come true unless he pulls Black from the most important race of his career... the Triple Crown. chapter 1 edited and reposted


Disclaimer- I do not own the Black Stallion, or any other characters.  
  
Summary: Alec has been having strange dreams concerning Black. Not dreams nightmares. Alec is convinced that these are true things, things that are going to going to come true if he doesn't pull Black from the most important race of his career... the Triple Crown.   
  
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Alec was once again woken up in the middle of the night, dripping in sweat and thoroughly scared. No, not scared for himself, scared for Black.   
  
He rubbed his temples and got up. He slipped on some jeans, a shirt, and his field boots. He headed out into the misty fields, the morning air most and crisp. The fields were emerald, even though the weather had been unbearably hot (Henry's water bill had been going up majorly)   
  
He settled himself on the wooden fence, watching Black gallop around his paddock. Black didn't like to be kept in an enclosed area very much, and sometimes made a fuss.   
  
"He's been mighty fussy this mornin'." Came Henry's voice behind Alec. "I've been watching him for awhile."   
  
"Yeah... I wonder if I should let him out into the large pasture." Alec said in a questioning tone.   
  
"Don't bother. I'd take him in to tack him up for his session. This nice mornin' air is good... especially since it's been very hot lately. I'd hate to take him out when the heat's at it's worst." Henry said no more, there was no reason to. He had made himself clear.   
  
"Yeah." Came Alec's quiet reply.   
  
Black had stopped his fuss to graze quietly.   
  
Alec hopped down into the paddock and whistled sharply to Black.   
  
Black lifted his head so quickly, Alec wondered if he got whiplash. He whinnied to Alec, and immediately began to trot smoothly toward Alec.   
  
"Hey, boy." Alec said, grasping Black's halter. Black didn't like his halter either, he just tolerated it, knowing that every day he would be caught by his halter for a training session on the track.   
  
(I forgot all of the stable hands)   
  
Alec left Black in his stall, and went to the tack room.   
  
"Hey, Alec. How's Black?" Amber asked, as Alec walked into the tack room.   
  
"Black's fine. What are you doing here this early?" Alec asked, eyeing her and her friends, Hazel and Carrie.   
  
Amber blushed. "I was worried about Charm. Henry said it was okay that I came early." Amber said honestly. Amber was a jockey, and after her mother's death, she came to jockey for this race farm, and she brought along some of her best thoroughbreds, including her currently racing filly, Daybreak's Charm.   
  
Alec shrugged. "Hey, I have no problems with you coming early, I'm just curious. By the way are any of you riding in the morning workout?"   
  
"I am. Charm needs to get ready for the Belmont." Amber replied, putting her bridle back together.   
  
"Well then you better get tacked up, Henry's having the horses work early, he doesn't want them to get caught in the heat." Alec informed them, grabbing Black's bridle and saddle   
  
"'Kay' thanks for telling me, see ya on the track, Alec!" Amber replied.   
  
"Yeah, see ya." Alec called, as he headed out of the tack room.   
  
Alec quickly brushed Black down, and even more quickly, tacked him up. Alec led Black down toward the track.   
  
"Hey Alec!" Amber yelled, trotting Daybreak's Charm over next to Alec. "Black looks ready to run." Amber commented, patting Black on the neck.   
  
Black nuzzled her pocket, wanting treats. "I spoil you to much, don't I?" Amber said, laughing. She pulled out a stray sugar lump from her pocket and fed it to Black, then one to Charm.   
  
"So does Charm." Alec said, looking the filly up and down.   
  
"I sure hope so." Amber replied, looking suddenly down. "I'm considering entering Daybreak in the Peakness."   
  
Amber constantly had financial problems. No matter how much Henry tried to make her take some money, she always refused, wanting to be able to live on her own.   
  
"But Daybreak, she's five. She's retired." Alec reminded her.   
  
"I'll just have to pull her out of retirement. I can't wait until Daybreak's Joy and Daybreak's Legacy are old enough to race, nor Daybreak's Delight." Amber explained.   
  
"Delight will be starting next spring, and Legacy and Joy the spring after." Alec pondered her options.   
  
Amber's face looked determined. "Daybreak won the Triple Crown, she can handle the Peakness, even if she is five years old, it was just last spring that she won the Triple Crown."   
  
Alec had no idea what she was going through, but he wanted to help. Entering Daybreak in the Peakness seemed the last of her options.   
  
"After Daybreak wins the Peakness, and hopefully Charm wins the Belmont, I can breed Daybreak again and sell the foal as a yearling." Amber made it sound so simple, so obvious, so... unlike her.   
  
Alec noticed the sad look in her eyes, and was desperate to cheer his friend up, "Well, then you should tell Henry. He'll whip that mare into shape in no time."   
  
Amber grinned, but the grin didn't match with her eyes. Her eyes were still sad, but determined.   
  
"We better get to the track." Amber said quietly. "Henry will be mad if we're late."  
  
"I don't understand, why you two are always late when you take the workouts together." Henry said half-heartedly. "Is there something goin' on between you two?"   
  
Kii glared up at Henry. "There is nothing going on, if there was, you wouldn't be asking that question. Anyway, time for the shocker. I'm pulling Daybreak out of retirement and entering her into the Peakness." Amber informed him.   
  
Henry didn't know what to say. It was so sudden, pulling her best, they're best, broodmare back into racing. "She...she's not fit for any type of race, even if she won the Peakness, what good would it do you or her?"   
  
"Winning a race after retirement will higher the value of her bloodlines." Amber said simply. "After the Peakness and Belmont, I'm breeding her to Heartbreak's Prince, and sell the foal as a yearling. After she had that foal and she's on her next heat, I wanted to ask you if I could breed her to Black, it would make the ultimate race horse."   
  
Alec was speechless. Utterly speechless. She had not mentioned a peep of breeding Daybreak to Black. Sure, the foal would be a great racehorse, but still...  
  
As if Alec's feelings had been said aloud, Amber turned to Alec. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you in the first place, Alec. I really am. It's just... I didn't think about it until a few minutes ago. I'm really sorry, Alec."   
  
"Its okay Amber." Alec replied, turning to Black.   
  
Henry gave Alec a leg up, and began to lead Black, knowing Amber could easily mount her own horse and a groom would take the reins.   
  
Alec could hear Amber talking quietly to Charm behind him. Her voice was soothing and calming. He could hear the horse stop sidestepping and saw that the filly was no longer sniffing the air nervously.   
  
They loaded the horses into the starting gate, and the bell rang. The filly and colt plunged forward, neck to neck.   
  
The session had begun.   
  
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G'day everybody. I hope someone reviews this, I'm not having any luck with the Harry Potter fic I'm writing.   
  
R&R plz. 


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